SHOWDOWN: GGO Kirito VS Megaman Zero
by N-Sight
Summary: What's better than swords and guns? LIGHTSABERS! Today, Kirito from Gun Gale Online faces Zero from Megaman X. I'm N-Sight the host and it's my job to analyze their blades, tactics, and feats to prove who will win an epic Showdown. WARNING! Only for fun. The science is BS, but used to deter hateful reviews.
1. The Rundown

**Kirito**

In the year 2025, a relatively new game on the amusphere called Gun Gale Online was experiencing a peculiar crisis. A player had claimed his rise to infamy under the alias "Death Gun" after killing two top players in the game. What made these kills interesting is one simple fact: the victims were found dead in real life from heart failure after dying in the game. The amusphere was designed not to have the capabilities to kill a player through heart failure. The situation required the attention of a top player from another game with the same issue: SAO.

Upon hearing about the incidents and the payment for his active investigation, Kirigaya Kazuto, who was better known online as Kirito, agreed to jump into the world of GGO to investigate the case. His SAO data loaded and his items erased, he jumped into the world of smoke, rust, and oil from a hospital room where he would be monitored during his dive. When he arrived, he was shocked to find that his avatar was the M-9000 type, a model that made him look like a girl in appearance. This was able to fool almost everyone who saw him, even Sinon, the sharpest sniper in the game.

Kirito still had his stats from SAO, so after winning a reaction-time lottery and buying his items, weapons, and gear, he joined Sinon in the Bullet Of Bullets tournament to find the legendary killer. It was in the first preliminary matches that Kirito showed off his moves and began to grow a small fan-base.

Kirito's skills from SAO all transferred with the exception of his Dual Wielding skills. His one-handed sword and parry skills reached the maximum of 1000 before he ended his journey through Aincrad. This allows him to have full knowledge of his style of swordplay. However, GGO was built with weapon customization at its core, so the skills he has are performed through motions without actually activating skills with the system assistance like in SAO. Basic skills that he can use include:

Vorpal Strike - a heavy strike that deals damage with a reach of twice the length of the blade

Savage Fulcrum - a three-hit combo that creates a "4" shape with the slashes

Serration Wave - an area of effect attack that does little damage, but impedes movement.

Deadly Sins - a seven-hit combo with high evasive maneuvers between each strike

Howling Octave - an eight-hit combo consisting of five thrusts and three slashes

He wields the Kagemitsu G4, a small sword with a laser beam as its blade. This purple blade can cut through anything in game with one exception: he can't cut through Space Battleship armor and blades made of the same material. His reflexes allow him to move his saber into positions that can cut bullets, lasers, and block deadly shots aimed in his direction.

However, sometimes Kirito needs a ranged distraction in order to close in on enemies. In order to fulfill this task, he wields the FN Five-Seven, a small pistol with focus on accuracy over power, making it the perfect distraction tool. Combining this with his knowledge of dual wielding swords, he can fire with one hand while blocking bullets with the other.

His defensive options are limited, but he has what it takes to fend off against strong attacks. He wears a set of battle armor that makes him look like a Jedi Knight, a fitting look for his method of offense. His armor only offers limited protection against live-ammo guns, similar to Sinon's sniper rifle. His defense against plasma based weapons include his energy shield, a protective field that can absorb a large amount of plasma and laser-based damage. However, the shield is designed to work to an extent before failing, so he can't rely on the shields to keep him invincible.

He also has two skills of detection that were not available to the system as selective skills: Distinguish, and Hypersensitivity. Distinguish allows him to tune out all noises other than specific sounds, usually made by players or their weapons. Hypersensitivity is similar in nature, but instead of tuning out noise, it allows him to lock onto the "killing intent" of another player, which came in handy when Laughing Coffin members are close by.

Upon leaving the game, he proved that his skills followed him wherever he went, no matter which game it is. This allows us to compare his abilities to his stats in ALO and SAO to figure out certain scenarios and their outcomes. His skills that do not involve swordplay include fishing, martial arts, knife/small blade throwing, and extended weight limit, which offers him the option to use heavier blades with one hand, carry more equipment, and lift larger in-game objects.

Kirito's battle skills may be the best out of his friends, but he tends to be a bit of an introvert. He usually lets his emotions take over unless someone comforts him. Often, he finds himself not very good with words, which means he usually says what he really means. This can cause him to seem rude or unkind, but inside he truly cares for those around him, even if his first impression is always the worst of introductions.

However, no human is without his flaws. While it is not in his nature to be arrogant, his only reason for this is that he never estimates his power. He prefers to acknowledge his opponent's power as slightly better than his, even if the odds are completely impossible for him to overcome. This can result in him facing death by the hands of foes he just has no hope of defeating, which has happened almost three times in SAO and ALO combined. He remains as calm and calculative as he can, but in slightly impossible odds, his anger and determination can take over, taking him to his limit in order to achieve his goal. In these moments, he loses all control and sometimes forgets what happened for a minute or two following the chaos.

His never-ending war with oppressive AI's can become a bit strenuous, but he pulls through with some impressive feats. He's been able to hold his own against the Cardinal System and even defy it on three separate occasions, once with refusing to accept permadeath, once with saving Yui from her program's deletion out of existence, and once with becoming an admin for ALO in a final showdown against Suko, his in-game wife's captor.

He's proven many times that he is never limited by the system he resides in. His deflection of bullets is just a minor example. He's proven that against artificial intelligence, he can outsmart almost any computer program and claim victory for the human race. He truly is the hero worthy of his Aincrad nickname, "The Black Swordsman."

 **Zero**

In the year 21XX, Maverick Sigma released a deadly, newly mutated virus into the Reploid population. The virus caused the autonomous robots to turn on everyone and anyone they saw, be it human or robot, master or former friend. A war began, with Sigma leading the Mavericks and the Maverick Hunters being lead by a pair of Reploids: Megaman X and Megaman Zero, the two strongest creations remaining from the works of Dr. Light and Dr. Wily.

Zero was created by Dr. Wily, originally meant to combat Megaman and help Wily control the world. Eventually, his core program was modified, remodeling him into a new defender of the human race. His evolution into the Maverick Hunter we know was well rewarded as he quickly became the most powerful Hunter in his group of reploids.

Being a Reploid, he has his physical advantages over humans. He is naturally built stronger, faster, and more durable than humans, due to Reploids' sturdier design and, well, they're robots. His physical strength and speed combine to make him a worthy opponent to any robot willing to face him. He also has a shadow mode, allowing him to strike twice in a row with each maneuver with a shadow of himself making the second hits each time. He can only sustain these for short moments of time, so it's not a move that he can abuse in combat.

He wields two versatile weapons: the Z-Saber and the Z-Buster. His Z-Saber is arguably his trademark weapon. It's composed of a short hilt that resembles a lightsaber handle. The blade itself is composed of pure plasma, capable of slicing through almost any substance. His swordplay is first rate, proven by his versatility in fighting games as a standard source of attacking. He is able to swing it as freely as a samurai crossed with a ninja and, through physical advances, can attack faster with almost pinpoint accuracy due to higher reflexes than humans are capable of. If he swings it fast enough, he can also fire waves of energy as a projectile following the path of his blade's motion.

His Z-Buster is his trademark arm cannon, sporting firepower better than most other sources could site. Essentially, it's a plasma cannon that shoots bullets made of solar energy. He can modify these shots mid-battle to create a wider array of effects. His most used methods are charging up for a more powerful blast or firing at the ground to create a "Ring of Fire" made to encase his foes in the solar energy.

Similar to X, Zero has the ability to copy other robot's powers and use them as his own. For this conflict, however, we'll be using the original Zero at the end of Megaman X, where he does not have any other Robot's powers. The reason for this is that we're not letting his opponent use two things he has: Magic and Bullet Line Detection.

Zero is not without his flaws. His offensive tactics make him formidable, but he is not invincible. Unlike X, Zero was not built with upgrades available to boost his defense, nor was he compatible with Dr. Light's armor for X. Get in a few shots on him and you've got one dead hunter on your hands.

Nevertheless, Zero is more experienced than any other Reploid in his league of hunters. He can string together several sets of attacks and maneuvers to create an overwhelming offense. He calculates his moves quickly and decisively, adapting to fight any foe to challenge him. He always puts forth his best effort and refuses to tolerate holding back at any length. Zero truly is a robot to be reckoned with.

 **Alright! The combatants are set and the arena has been picked. Let's cast our votes and find out who really wins! It's time for an epic SHOWDOWN!**


	2. Engage the Enemy: FIGHT!

Kirito stood in the fields outside the main city. GGO had been bustling with people trying to get in either an interview or autograph from him. Sure, he may have been popular with winning the third BOB tournament, but he still had one final thing to do before reconverting.

His co-winner walked up behind him. "You ready to do this?" she asked, her sniper rifle in arms.

He nodded. "Let's go." He'd agreed to go on one final hunt as her GGO Avatar before they both converted over to ALO. They both took off, like two bolts of lightning streaking across the landscape. Their location of interest was an old abandoned city with several skyscrapers and broken structures. It was Sinon's favorite spot to hunt players near, and the monsters that now roamed the area offered for a diverse selection of targets.

However, Kirito was more interested in something that popped up on his menu: a simple quest that he had not accepted, yet was activated. It told of a robotic enemy found in the deserted city that needed to be stopped. His mind was set: take it down and log off soon as he could.

Standing on top of one of these buildings, a lone robot stood. His golden locks flowed behind him as the breeze slowly passed him. His blade was drawn, but not activated. His red armor would have made it easy to spot him, but since he was so high up, no one would be able to see him. His eyes were focused on the entrance to the city. Finally, his target had arrived.

Kirito looked up to see an incoming blast of energy flick by him. It hit Sinon in her chest, making her fall to the ground. He knelt down to help his companion, but she clutched her chest. Immediately after he touched her cheek, her avatar burst apart into tiny shards of light. A white message box appeared as she vanished. It said, "DISCONNECTED."

Kirito's eyes widened. This happened four times before. He witnessed one of these in the tournament. Sinon had been killed in the real world. His mission to keep her alive in the third BOB had failed.

He rose, turning to face the attacker. He saw the red humanoid machine leap off of the building he was standing on and plummet to the ground. The newcomer flipped in the air and landed in the classic pose: kneeling with one knee on the ground, the other forward, and one arm down in front of the grounded knee. It rose slowly, locking eyes onto Kirito.

"Do you realise why I've summoned you here?" the robot voiced.

Kirito nodded. "A battle to the death. Before we begin, will I really die IRL if I die here?"

The Reploid scoffed. "That remains to be decided."

Both fighters ignited their swords and lunged towards each other. Kirito went for a low strike while the robot, Zero, went in for the same. Their blades hit and locked together. For a moment, the fighters began dishing out slash after slash, each one tossed aside by the other's blade.

Kirito finally leaped back away from Zero, drawing his FN Five-Seven. He fired off three shots, which Zero proceeded to block with his blade. Zero pulled his blade back, extending his other hand, which had now transformed into a blaster.

Zero fired a spray of ten shots at Kirito. The black swordsman nimbly dodged over four of them, but his blade intercepted the others aimed at his vitals. This caused them to fly in random directions, hitting the buildings to the side. One of these shots hit Zero in the leg.

Kirito charged in, swinging his sword in quadrilateral slash maneuver. The Kagemitsu G4 was blocked again by the extreme reflexes of the robot. Kirito then brought his open fist in a punching motion, socking the robot in the jaw and sending him back a few feet.

Kirito followed this up by throwing a small metal shard he picked up next to him. Zero tried to slash through it, but it went unnoticed by his targeting computer and stabbed him in his chest. He shrugged off the pain and performed a low-sweeping kick, catching Kirito off guard and nearly toppling him.

Zero saw his opportunity. He kicked off the ground into the air and spun around. He fired off a blast of energy he had been charging. Kirito winced as he braced for the attack to land. Fortunately for him, his shield absorbed most of the damage from the blast. Kirito looked at his shield gauge to find that they were depleted.

Kirito charged forward, grabbing a pipe that had littered the ground. He pulled his blade and the pipe into position. He began a stream of slashes in the quickest motions that he could, slashing downward with one item while swinging upward with the other. He repeatedly switched up which directions he was swinging, landing several hits on Zero, but the reploid still had a slight upperhand.

Zero backhanded the pipe out of Kirito's grasp before grappling onto his free arm. Kirito swung his arm upward, allowing his strength to finally kick in and toss the robot behind him. Kirito's Kagemitsu was ready, slashing straight through the chestpiece and destroying the robot's core.

Zero burst into the shards again, the same text box appearing in place of the robot. Kirito sheathed his weapons and walked away, his heart heavy at losing another friend to the system he defied.

 **RESULTS:**

Since Kirito is just an Avatar in a game, we had to transfer Zero into GGO in order for this fight to take place. Kirito and Zero are both skilled with swords in combat, able to hold their own against opponents tougher than most that they could even dream of. The main difference in combat is their stats. Kirito's stats will always rise and his reflexes are only paralleled by one other ALO player and by no other player in SAO or GGO. This allows him to react quicker in states of panic, stress, and chaos to deliver quick and calculated blows.

Zero, on the other hand, never increases his power unless he's copying the foe's moves. He can get too aggressive in these same situations Kirito overpowers, causing him to forget strategy and adopt the tactic of brute strength. This leaves him open and susceptible to attacks and prohibits him from dodging as well. While it usually helps him win, it leaves him drained due to his excessive use of energy.

The last two deciding factors were simple:

Could Zero take in the damage from Kirito's blade if left open for attack? Not really. He was taken down by some lesser weaponry and his defense was clearly sacrificed for his increased speed and strength. Not to mention we're using the original Zero from Megaman X, who dies at the hands of Vile in the Japanese version.

How well does Kirito defend against plasma and laser-blasts? To answer this question, we surfed throughout the anime to find out the answer. If Kirito does not pull his blade in the path of a laser shot, his shield can absorb it and save his health bar from damage. His shield only works if it has enough power left, meaning that he will need to return to a safe zone in order to recharge it. However, if he blocks the blasts with his blade, they ricochet off of it and move in a randomized direction. When it comes down to it, Kirito has a method for dealing with non-live-ammo damage.

Anyway you slice it, Zero just couldn't blast ahead.

 **The Winner is** **KIRITO!**

 _Next time on Mindsightgames, we'll be continuing with Kid Icarus: Grounded Awakening._


	3. Creator's Response to Reviewers (sorry!)

GREETING READERS!

So, as you may have seen from two separate sources in the review section, I have a few people who disagree with the way I made these two fight. Before anyone jumps on the bandwagon, I'll mention that I applaud the method that one of them handled his opinion and I'd wish not to offend him with the tone of my response. I'll leave his up, but the hater who rambled will have his review removed. I'd like to explain my reasoning as much as I can to re-confirm that this is my OPINION of who would win, as well as tie up some loose ends.

1: I wanted as even of a playing field as possible. No magic for Kirito and no Robot Master's weapons for Zero as both would require insane amounts of assumption that I really have no liberty to do. Zero is based off of the design from Mega Man X(the first), not Mega Man Zero. This allows me to use the standard X as a base and the upgrades for the armor(which are included) as the added advantage. I felt that it was easier to implement him into the world, but I wondered if having Kirito fight with an added risk of death would push his potential. The result? Yeah, it did.

2: I knew that Kazuto Kirigaya never could be this good in real life and Zero has the virus to him. My solution to have Zero fight? Have a copy of his program (FROM BEFORE THE MAVERICK VIRUS INTEGRATION) be a CPU OPPONENT or a ROGUE PROGRAM against him! I couldn't think of another way to get these two to battle with laser swords. I did not include the maverick virus for three reasons: a) I needed a level playing field. b) I was concerned what it could do to the server of GGO and how much collateral it could cause. c) It was Zero's undoing, it could ruin Kirito internally and externally, it could do a multitude of things to Kirito that are unknown possibilities.

3: I needed to apply some quick, on-the-fly battle tactics that Kirito might use if put in that situation. I admit that the FN-Five Seven is useless, but only if used as a killing/damaging mechanism. I only had Kirito fire it at one moment to try to distract Zero, which is arguably the reason he has the pistol in the first place. The small shard of metal was also a distraction, not meant to deal damage. Both types of projectiles Kirito had were there for distraction purposes only, even in SAO and ALO. Kirito prefers to have an illusion for a trick to give him an edge, not a trump card.

4: Note that this kind of match up would never happen if there was a true crossover with the worlds. I know that the characters are good enough at heart and smart enough to resolve the conflict through peaceful means before death was considered a solution.

5: No offense, but OPINIONS ARE OPINIONS, NOT FACTS! If you really want to use other versions of the characters or provide a deeper analysis than I did, submit it as a Death Battle on Screwattack where they spend months on research or maybe WRITE IT YOURSELF!

Man, comments are supposed to be there for criticism of the quality of the writing(at least on this site). I wanted a way to have Kirito beat another AI and describe an action sequence with lightsabers. I won't be implementing these into my story unless it calls for it, so I may not even get a chance to have two laser swords clash in combat again. Doesn't mean it won't, but I don't have plans for it, yet.

This chapter was not meant to put down the reviewers or to drive people away, I just wanted to keep these types of stories from becoming the Death Battle comment section: either suggestions or hateful trash. I admit that the review I'm leaving up was civilized in nature, to a degree, but it still won't excuse anyone from giving a creator a hard time. I'm grateful for his response(even though English was not his primary language, he did a really good translation) and I'd love to see him review another story, provided his civilized nature continues.

That being said, I have some better news to share: I'm planning on a surprise crossover that I'm writing and piecing together. I won't tell you what it is, but I will say I'll be doing a walkthrough on the game in the nearer future on my youtube channel. I'll let you know when that is up and running alongside the story's first release.

More good news, Kid Icarus: Grounded Awakening will have an update on April 28th at the earliest. I'm sorry that it is taking me so long to write another chapter, but I'll bring up that I had been working both a full time job at a local restaurant and a part time job at a nearby gamestop(which I am still working at). Now that I have started school, I'll be updating every once in a while, but I still won't have as much time as I would like. I'll let you know if it gets delayed, but it should be out April 28th. See you in the next chapter.


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